1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to the environmental sealing of severed cable ends and/or the sealing of the joints between the individual conductors of a multiconductor cable and the contacts of a multicontact electrical connector into which the cable has been inserted.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the prior art, environmental seals for cables and/or cable connector joints were achieved through the use of complex connectors having various seals and gaskets to prevent the entrance of moisture, dirt, or contaminants into the connector. These connectors had a great many parts, required skilled preparation of the cable and installation of the connector, required special tools and could not be easily carried out under field conditions. Potting was also an available technique to seal the cable and connector-conductor joints. Special preparation of the cable and connector was required, and since the potting equipment was not generally portable, it could not be carried out in the field. Also, after a cable-connector was potted, any failure of the cable or connector required its being cut off and discarded since the attempted removal of the potting compound could result in the destruction of the connector. A simple, if not completely reliable, approach was to wrap the cable-connector joint with many layers of various tapes to provide the necessary moisture seal, dielectric strength, etc. Such sealing was not reliable since pinholes in the tape often admitted moisture and provided leakage paths. Also, no effective seal could be obtained for the connector-conductor joints within the connector.